Microsoft Skeptical of Firefox's 1 Billion Downloads

[Guest]

They said downloads, not users, so they are 100% correct. Apparently MS doesn't like the fact that Mozilla catches up to them more everyday. Of the 10billion IE users, very few actually choose to use it, most use it out of apathy. There's probably less than a million people who consciously choose IE, the rest use it because it comes with Windows.

 

[sailfish]

When you can't compare on the wealth of features, all that's left is to attack a meaningless number, I suppose?

 

[Shadow703793]

Also does this include FireFox portable? If so I own 10+ Flash drives/portable HDDs each with FF Portable loaded. So does that count too... if so it could easily be over 1 billion with updates.

 

[Bynextfall]

Well considering I probably downloaded Firefox about 50 times since it came out Id say the number is probably a bit lower.

 

[megamanx00]

[citation][nom]brendano257[/nom]I think Microsoft is being a whinny little kid ^_^[/citation]

They've been hanging out with EA

 

[theuerkorn]

It says "downloads" which can be multiple ones per user too. I downloaded FF probably 5 - 10 times myself. But it's marketing and every company does it the same way. While Microsoft seems to argue that one download should equate to one user, Firefox never claimed that. It's just the typical trash talk.

 

[Hellbound]

I have many computers at home for a small render farm, 13 in all. I downloaded Firefox to each one.

In 2 years I've downloaded Firefox a good 30+ times for myself and friends. My mother, who is 67 years old, purchased a computer for the first time last week. I downloaded Firefox for her.

Yes, I can see Firefox reaching 1 billion downloads..

 

[fatedtodie]

It is just random numbers. Who cares if the product and updates have been downloaded 1 billion times? It is like Apple numbers, sure they may dominate the "over 2000 dollar laptop market" but what percentage of the FULL market is that? less than 1%? so big deal, it is meaningless.

If you have 1 billion downloads but less than 30% of the "users" what does that mean? you just gave microsoft the best advertising information ever and they didn't even have to bother gathering stats themselves.

It is like that mac commercial with the PC guy with all the money... nobody points out that the "kid" that is the apple guy is penniless...

 

[FlayerSlayer]

I have downloaded version 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 3.0, and 3.5 one at least one machine each. I am currently using 3 computers between home and work, one is dual-boot, one has half a dozen virtual machines, ALL running Firefox. I am one person, but responsible for maybe a dozen downloads.

 

[cdillon]

I download Firefox once and then deploy it to nearly 1000 computers on an enterprise network, and they don't have auto-update enabled. I'm not the only one that does this, either. So my 1000:1 download ratio offsets at least some of those numbers.

 

[ossie]

Due to windblow$ highest reliability records, I would've estimated it even higher - at least a few times for every system during it's lifetime. If automatic updates would be accounted for, the count would easily get in the hundreds of billions.
m$ is just like a little kid, if it can't get it's toys, it's starting to cry...

 

[Guest]

Microsoft complain about this, but then in their Vista sales figures they included every PC that sold with a 'right to use' license of Vista, even when said PCs were downgraded to XP or converted to Linux

Microsoft=pot
Mozilla=kettle

 

[Miharu]

Just think who many time you updated Firefox since 2004.
I have 2 pcs, just in upgrade I downloaded Firefox around 40 times!!!
1 user and I download Firefox over 40 times!!! So it's not fair at all...

Firefox ask for upgrade or upgrade automaticly.. and IE don't do that.

It's like adding a counter (cgi) on your webpage.
I have 1 billion people who have come to my page! WOW!
But you could also only press refresh 1 billion times... 1 user = 1 billion times... pretty long.. but no real achivement...

 

[Guest]

Miharu: What part of "1 billion downloads" don't you understand? It's just an arbitrary number that happens to be a big round one, a billion divided by 40 is still a whole hell of alot of Firefox, Microsoft has mislead or lied to the public about far more important things..... Saying "1 billion users" is something else, but they never said 1 billion users, did they?

 

[i_like_pie]

ha, just got a notice for an update to 3.5.2, add 1 more to that 1 billion dl count!

 

[afrobacon]

It's hard to believe that Firefox included add-ons and updates in their number. I personally download it to every computer I build; and everytime I do a fresh reformat. I know I'm not the only one who has downloaded it more than once.

 

[jimmysmitty]

In my personal opinion, no I think its a bit wrong since I never think of updates as actual downloads only the core program is a true download.

So in reality I doubt that the actual browser itself has gotten 1B downloads. Then again, doesn't Mozilla wrap updates in just a new browser install package.... so maybe. Who knows.

 

[blackz06vette]

It's funny to see MS complain about this number. How many users voluntarily purchased Vista as opposed to getting it because MS disallowed vendors to sell XP? Yet MS advertises about what a great selling package it is!!!

How many people would even be using IE if it was not the the preinstalled browser on their PC?

Also consider duplication. All of my Windows boxes have both IE and Firefox on them. It's not like there are 2 billion users, 1.5 of them with only IE and .5 billion with only Firefox.

 

[phatbuddha79]

F*ck IE, anything's better than that piece of sh!t!

 

[Fargus]

Microsoft is hardly in a position to be skeptical about numbers. Forcing people who wanted to buy a machine with XP installed to purchase Vista with a downgrade disk and counting it as a Vista sale is hardly scrupulous.

 

[Guest]

I install FireFox on every system that I work on and I make sure to install the latest version each time I do maintenance on any system.

Same thing goes for each piece of software that needs to be updated as you can't leave any security exploits laying around just waiting to create a mess for you to have to clean up. I'd be lucky to have any hair left if I were that careless with every system I worked on.

So these days to save on downloads, I keep a 16 GB Flash drive on me with all current updates and as new updates come out, I make sure to keep the drive updated.

 

[krazyderek]

Whether this number includes updates or not is irrelevant, microsoft better than anyone should know that by upgrading you're still choosing to continue to use the software, thus it counts as a step forward for the company producing the software. People aren't downloading Firefox to inflate mozilla's ego, nor are they pressing the update button cause they're forced to, it's cause they want new features and the latest version of a better browser. In fact i would attribute the RE-downloading of firefox by the same person multiple times to the fact that microsoft's flaky operating system which almost "needs" to be wiped clean every 10-16 months. Sorry microsoft, you lose, crawl back into your hole and do your best not to screw up windows 7.

 

[vtecflightdeck09]

Ive downloaded and installed Firefox many times on the same pc, and then the upgrades too, I believe the 1 billion number to be true

 

[hakesterman]

After reading this artical i would simply state who really Cares. That
doesn't make it the the best browser, and i think adding updates in the
figure totally washes away and validation as to where it stands as a stand
alone browser. Alot people including everyone in our family that has a Pc uses multiple browers and we all use one more than the other. Frankly one doesn't stand out more than any other one, they all have their pluses and minuses.

 

[salem80]

jealous


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